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Harry Morgan
Profile = |-| Harrison "Harry" Morgan is a main character in DEXTER and one of the most influential in the cast. He was a police officer in the Miami Metro Police Department who also acted as a Detective, however he is only ever seen in a standard uniform if on duty during flashbacks. Regardless he was one of the most respected officers in service, often being considered a hero and is constantly praised by Deputy Chief Tom Matthews, a good friend of his who sees a lot of Harry's influence in his daughter Debra, who he's recently promoted to Lieutenant (a rank that Harry never reached). He is the adoptive father of Dexter Morgan as well as the biological father of Debra Morgan, born to his wife Doris Morgan. In reality Harry knew about Dexter long before the Shipyard Massacre as Dexter's mother, Laura Moser, acted as his informant in a drug cartel led by a man named Estrada. The two became romantically involved despite Harry's marriage to Doris and he knew of both sons, only choosing to adopt Dexter however as he could see it within Brian Moser's eyes that "he was one fucked up kid". Harry is the most important deceased character in the series, as he has reappeared in almost every episode (except less frequently in Season 5) and has been dead since long before the start of the series. During Seasons 1 and 2, he acts primarily in a series of flashbacks that Dexter has when he is trying to relate current events to something he learned in the past. As he learns more about his father however, Dexter practically moves on from him (and rejects him) thus forcing Harry to manifest as a sort of spiritual being that is the representation of his subconscious attempting to assist him. The flashbacks end after Season Two and Harry remains as a part of his subconscious helping him survive and make the right decisions. It is unknown if this could actually be Harry's spirit, as Dexter's mother Laura also appears to him and even his own brother Brian for a short while. Harry always acts indifferent and with a calm understanding, despite Dexter's situation. Early Life Harry first found Dexter at a crime scene when he was just 3, and took him in as his own son. From an early age, Dexter showed signs of serial killer tendencies, i.e. torturing and killing small animals, which Harry identified right away. Instead of suppressing the urges, Harry taught Dexter how to curb his appetite for killing by unleashing it on criminals that escaped the system. The "Code of Harry", which Dexter constantly refers to, was instituted by Harry to prevent Dexter from being caught for his vigilantism. Every rule that stems from the code is to protect Dexter and the ones closest to him, namely his sister Debra and his wife Rita and her children. Harry died 10 years before Season 1, which was in 2006. Therefore his date of death is actually 1996. Season One Throughout Season 1, Harry is seen much as a wise man and an idealist, someone who made a bold decision that could have devastating repercussions in creating his own serial killer of a son. Season Two In Season 2, more of Harry's history comes to light, especially of his affair with Dexter's biological mother, Laura Moser. She was a confidential informant for the case Harry was working on and his actions indirectly lead to her murder. This leads to a tumultuous emotional phase for Dexter, who can't decide whether Harry created a code for him out of love or guilt. Harry has a unique place in Dexter's life as it is he who created this "Dark Defender". But he couldn't deal with the consequences of what he created as he committed suicide out of guilt, three days after he walks in on one of Dexter's kills, a pimp who killed Joanne Sucks. Dexter traces his life very closely to Harry's, throughout Season 1 he could do no wrong, but through Season 2 and Season 3, the moral implications of being a vigilante and taking the law into one's own hands become readily apparent. Season Three Starting in the third season, Dexter's inner dialogue is represented by having conversations with Harry's ghost. Harry is shown less frequently as himself in flashbacks and more of a manifestation of Dexter's inner logic. Dexter imagines Harry appearing at times when he is internally conflicted, with 'Harry' often acting as a counterbalance to Dexter's own impulsive nature. Dexter also imagines him appearing at better times, such as his wedding, where he pictures him standing next to Laura. Season Four 'Harry' begins to show up a lot more as Dexter becomes more confused with his new role as husband and father. Harry always seems to try and steer Dexter toward the path that would offer him the most personal security, although Dexter begins to ignore him. Harry said from the beginning that Trinity was a dangerous man that needed to be taken out, yet Dexter wanted to learn from him. Much to his dismay, Harry was right. Season Five After failing to heed his father's warning about Arthur in the previous season, Dexter is faced with the reality that Rita Morgan has now been murdered by Trinity. Dexter sees Harry one last time in his cop attire and loses him for a while after this point, struggling with how to react emotionally through all the events that have occurred. Later on at the end of this episode, Dexter acts out violently by killing a man named Rankin after he first insulted Dexter and then insulted Rita's memory. Harry stands on in the mirror watching Dexter and tells him that was the most human thing he has done since Rita's death...that he never left, then as Dexter falls to his feet it's as if they're actually physically interacting with one another at this level...Dexter goes on to release his anger and Harry coaxes him to return to his life, that running away will not solve anything. As Dexter restarts his life as a serial killer and attempts to locate a new target, Harry begins showing up again in the typical fashion with advice to help him think and solve his problems. However, whenever Lumen Pierce arrives Harry becomes very distrusting of her just as he did Miguel Prado and Arthur Mitchell before her. Dexter, unclear of what to do, thinks about what to do with her and eventually starts to accept her as a colleague. Harry has not been seen since Dexter's almost near-attempt of a murder on someone who was not guilty, thus suggesting that Dexter's involvement with Lumen is shutting Harry out...which may or may not be a good thing come the later half of this season. After his long disappearance, Astor arrived in Dexter's life again with her friend Olivia and in trying to understand this whole situation, Harry appeared once more to offer Dexter a solution to his problem. Dexter didn't want advice from a man attempting to give insight on teenage girls, but Harry instead instructed Dexter that the safety of both girls best lay in getting them as far away as physically possible from Miami, especially with The Group being his target. Dexter takes note of this advice and Harry disappears when Lumen arrives, reappearing only once more after Dexter deals with Barry Kurt (Olivia's mother's boyfriend that abused her), extending his understanding of Dexter. When Dexter notices Harry, he automatically assumes that he's going to get the typical "You're endangering yourself Dexter, you're taking too much of a risk Dexter..." attitude...but instead, Harry tells him he's proud that he could actually put himself out there for another person despite all the risks aligned with it. Dexter listens on as his father praises him for acting far beyond his expectations of how he'd grow up...and this may suggest that Harry is more than just his subconscience, even going as far as to suggest Harry's spirit resides within Dexter...coming out only when he needs him most (much like the saying that when someone close to you passes away, they're always in your heart). In the novels Harry's character and backstory is much the same in the novels. Unlike in the TV series, Harry did not commit suicide after catching Dexter during a kill, instead Harry expressed regrets after Dexter killed Last Nurse. Morgan also never had a romantic relationship with Dexter's biological mother. Trivia *Harry is one of few characters to actually return after being deceased, as a spiritual entity or hallucinated personification of Dexter's inner thoughts (a second mind, to help him think). Dexter's mother, Laura Moser and his brother Brian Moser are the only two characters that also return in a similar fashion. *The flashbacks which mainly focused around Dexter's youth and Harry's interaction with him growing up ended after Season Two and were instead replaced by "dreamlike" instances where Harry physically existed with the current-age Dexter. This dream quality persisted for two seasons, until Season Five when Harry's appearances were shot in the same look as the rest of the show as if he was actually there the entire time (like Brian in Season Two and now, Season Six). It should be noted that these dream sequences practically removed any other characters from the current situation and sometimes added new, nameless ones for the sake of the scene while Season Five and onward simply has the camera pan and Harry's right there next to Dexter, in real time environments with no such dream effect. es:Harry Morgan Category:Deceased Category:Characters Category:Season 1 characters Category:Season 2 characters Category:Season 3 characters Category:Season 4 characters Category:Characters from the dexter book series Category:Season 5 characters Category:Main characters Category:Season 6 Characters Category:Characters present at Dexter's wedding Category:Characters seen in Flashbacks Category:Miami Metro Police Department Category:Members of Dexter's Family Category:Characters with Unseen Deaths Category:Suicides